


Reunited

by gijane7702



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, I Love Sinking That Ship Every Way Possible, It's Me Of Course, Post-Endgame, Reconciliation, Sorry That C7 Is Canon, rebuilding friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:48:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25208728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gijane7702/pseuds/gijane7702
Summary: Just as Kathryn is moving on, Chakotay comes back into her life
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway, Phoebe Janeway/Sekaya
Comments: 10
Kudos: 67





	Reunited

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to coffeeblack75 for the beta

It was all over.

Debriefings were complete. Promotions had been handed out. New assignments had come through. Command of _Voyager_ had been transferred to her new captain. The last hurrah had been the night prior.

As of today, the family was officially broken up. 

Kathryn and Phoebe stood waiting for their mother to finish gossiping with the brass she knew at Command – they had been her husband’s peers and were now her daughter’s. After Phoebe’s seemingly fiftieth sigh and Kathryn’s quiet snorts of laughter at each of them, Gretchen said her final goodbyes and walked over to her daughters. Theo Patterson and Alynna Nechayev smirked at them behind her back. Phoebe stuck her tongue out at them when Gretchen wasn't looking as the Janeway ladies beamed out to their shouts of laughter. 

They materialized on the main road at the entrance to the farmstead. As they walked up the road to the main house, Phoebe listed off all the things she wanted to do with her sister while she was on her six months of leave. Kathryn listened silently as she chatted away, reflecting on the fact she knew Nechayev had stalled her mother so Kathryn wouldn't have to watch Chakotay beam away to Copenhagen with Seven. His mother and sister were on their way from Trebus and would join the new happy couple in a few days. 

“So … what do you want to do first, Katie?” Phoebe’s question snapped Kathryn back to the present. 

“I want to sleep,” she replied. “Haven’t gotten a proper night’s sleep in years … talk to me in a week.”

Gretchen smiled as Phoebe rolled her eyes and opened the front door. They both entered before Kathryn, who just stood in the doorway taking in the old house. Nothing had changed. 

_No_ , she thought, _some small_ _things have._

The foyer was now painted a bright sunshine yellow. The couches in the living room were in different locations. The curtains had been changed. In the place of honor, instead of the ancient Janeway mantle clock, there was now a model of _Voyager_ that had been masterfully sculpted by Phoebe. 

Kathryn walked over to the fireplace. Starfleet, in a fit of indulgence at the joy of being told _Voyager_ was alive and well … just in the Delta Quadrant … had given Phoebe the blueprints to the _Intrepid_ class ship. Kathryn silently took in the meticulous details her sister had put into the sculpture of her former home.

_Voyager_ ’s first captain gasped when she saw the teeny tiny female figure in the Ready Room holding an even teeny tinier cup of coffee. Kathryn ran her eyes down the model. There were little figures dotted throughout the ship, looking out portholes and viewports. She recognized Tuvok on Deck Four in his office. Naomi and Sam Wildman in their quarters on Deck Nine. Neelix in the Mess Hall on Deck Two. Harren on Deck Fifteen in the Plasma Relay Room. 

“Do you like it?” Phoebe asked from behind her. 

“Don’t tell Mom … but I’m stealing it for my office,” Kathryn told her, turning around. “It’s absolutely magnificent, Phee.” 

Phoebe launched herself at Kathryn for a hug, and Kathryn barely managed to catch her sister without being knocked over, as she had been when _Voyager_ landed on The Presidio. Then, the captain had gone straight down as her sister jumped into her arms. Because Chakotay had been distracted watching Seven, he missed catching his captain and her head had knocked quite loudly against the gangway.

The holo-image of Phoebe happily hugging Kathryn while both lay flat on the gangway had gone around on the news feeds quadrants-wide. The Doctor, on the down low, had seen to her slight concussion, but reported it to an embarrassed Chakotay. Kathryn had brusquely brushed off the commander’s stuttering apologies, the only indication she had given him that all was not well between them. Otherwise, he and Seven had bought the heap of lies she had told them about how happy she was for them. 

“No need,” Phoebe told Kathryn, once again bringing her into the present. “Wait til you see what I have for you for your office! I did it during debriefings.” Kathryn started thanking her, but Phoebe continued with, “Just tell everyone who sees it who did it and where to find my gallery. Now … let’s go get Mom to make her vegetable biryani and—” Phoebe trailed off at the pained expression on her sister’s face that had appeared at the mention of that particular dish. “Related to _you know who_?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes … and I really can’t tell you about it because it’s classified.” Phoebe wrinkled her nose. “Well, we had dinner before the classified part—”

“Let me guess: vegetable biryani … the only dish you can cook without burning it.”

Kathryn nodded, giving her sister a dirty look.

“More than dinner happened, I’m presuming.”

Kathryn nodded again.

“He’s an absolute fucking moron.”

Kathryn smiled slightly.

“Come on … you need a new memory surrounding the food … let’s make one.”

Despite her earlier statement, Kathryn stayed up late into the night after dinner, sipping whisky while lounging around on the couches in the living room with her family. She told them everything that was not classified, including everything about her and Chakotay. All the way from the beginning when he had first popped up on her main viewer. 

“He didn’t have the tattoo in any of the pictures Starfleet had of him, since he got it after he resigned. The recon file holos were too grainy or on the wrong side of his profile. I thought he was handsome before. I don’t know how I managed to keep my ... jaw from dropping when I saw it.” Her mother and sister laughed at the thought of the straight-laced Captain Janeway lusting after the man she was supposed to be arresting. “It went pretty much downhill from there.” 

Eventually, after her recap of their Delta Quadrant adventures (glossing over their frequent misadventures), they all turned in for the night. 

Kathryn slept late into the next morning, waking refreshed for the first time in years. She and Phoebe wandered the farm over the next few days, doing the small chores since the farmhands had taken the week off so the family would have privacy. The bigger tasks could wait until they returned. 

On her third day home, just after a very late breakfast, there came an insistent knocking at the front door. Presuming it was an extremely daring journalist, Kathryn told her mother and sister she’d handle it. But nothing could have prepared her for who was standing on the other side of the door. 

  
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

“My brother is an absolute fucking moron!” 

Kathryn stood holding the front door open, gaping like a fish out of water. She barely registered the Starfleet shuttle taking off from the end of the road as she stared at Chakotay’s sister and mother standing on the porch, a set of duffle bags and backpacks beside them. What were they doing here?

“I said the exact same thing just a few days ago,'' Phoebe said, coming up behind her sister, adding to the new arrivals, “Shouldn’t you be in Copenhagen with Chakotay?”

It took Gretchen coming out of the kitchen asking who was at the door for both Janeway sisters to remember their manners. Kathryn gathered Sekaya’s and Tananka’s belongings while Phoebe escorted them inside. 

Tananka introduced herself and daughter to her son’s former captain who then in turn introduced them to her family. Everyone settled in with coffee and tea as Kathryn recapped the journey through the Delta Quadrant for the newcomers. After refreshing their beverages and having a light snack, Tananka began to explain why they were in Indiana. 

“We decided to change the plans Chakotay left behind for us. We needed to know what happened. During our last transmission three months ago, he babbled on for two of his three minutes about his captain, correcting himself eight times when he started calling her ‘Kathryn’, not ‘Captain’.”

Kathryn blushed, causing Sekaya to grin. “His letter two months ago was full of more of his ‘captain’," Sekaya told Phoebe and Gretchen. “We didn’t receive a transmission last month.”

“Not once did he mention this blonde Borg. All we’ve seen and heard of her are from news vids,” Sekaya added, scowling.

“Holy hell, right?” Phoebe said, eyes sparkling.

Kathryn rolled her eyes. 

“She’s … okay,” Sekaya replied. “Until Katie, my brother had shit taste in women. I’m not surprised he managed to fu— mess it up.”

“There was nothing between us,” Kathryn insisted. All four other women snorted their derision. “We were in command … nothing could have happened. There were no promises, spoken or not. He was free to … you know ...” 

“Be an absolute fucking moron,” Sekaya finished for her. “I know Mother agrees with me because she usually smacks me off the head for cursing.” She grinned at Tananka, who just sighed heavily the same way her son did when he agreed with something but didn’t want to admit it. 

“Do you have any idea what happened?” Tananka asked Kathryn gently. 

Kathryn took a long drink of her coffee before answering. Over the past few days, she had been reflecting on what had happened between them, so she knew the answer. “We drifted apart. Command-wise we were fine … but there were a few incidents that I can’t talk about, but I think he finally realized I wasn’t going to change my mind about us being together while we were out there … and he … he apparently went and found Seven.”

“Damn …” Phoebe and Sekaya said together. 

“So … you _were_ in love with my son,” Tananka stated.

“I still am,” Kathryn replied quietly. Clearing her throat, she shook her head, pushing away the tears, and continued, “But I’ll get over it … I have before … I’ll do it again.” She smiled up at her mother who had leaned over to hug her. Phoebe and Sekaya both looked like they wanted to hit something, preferably Chakotay. But Tananka sat quietly, absorbing all the information she had received that afternoon.

Eventually, Phoebe sorted out the sleeping arrangements. Though the guests were offered the guest house for privacy, they had both grown up in a tight-knit community and were used to sharing communal space. At Gretchen’s insistence, they took her quickly freshened-up bedroom with the king-size bed while Gretchen moved into the spare room/office. 

The four women settled into a cozy pattern for the next three days, taking turns cooking (Kathryn ordered take out for her turns), tidying up around the house, and doing the chores around the farm. Chakotay’s family finally decided to contact him on the fourth day, but before they could place the call, Owen Paris comm’ed.

Chakotay had checked out of his hotel near Irene Hansen’s house and had departed Copenhagen four days ago – the same day his mother and sister had arrived in Bloomington – and no one knew where to find him. 

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

“What do you mean, sensors can’t pick up his biosigns?” Kathryn asked in exasperation. 

_“Katie, he doesn’t have his communicator, it’s still in Copenhagen,”_ Owen told her gently. _“Do you know how many people, human and otherwise, are on Earth on any given day? Billions.”_

“Get B’Elanna working on it … she could keep track of us on a Borg cube of thousands!”

_“She has been nonstop since Miss … Nine called. She has Miral swaddled against her as she swears in Klingon at her failed calibrations. The other engineers at Starfleet Engineering are in part awe, part fear of what she’s done so far – it would have taken them years to do what she’s done in days.”_

“I’m pleased they’re finally recognizing her outside-the-box thinking,” Kathryn drawled, smirking. “They were pains in the asses during debriefings.”

_“Don’t you ‘I told you so’ me, Katie,”_ Owen gave her such a vexed look that she had to bite her lip so she wouldn't laugh. _“I’ll keep you posted. I know B’Elanna will find him. Paris out.”_

Kathryn scowled at the blank screen, then looked up to meet the sets of brown eyes watching her intently. “I’m going to kill him when she finds him,” she told Sekaya and Tananka. 

“Get in line,” Sekaya replied. 

“Not for disappearing – he is a grown man – but Miral is only three-and-a-half months old,” Kathryn added.

Tananka frowned at that piece of news. “I knew she was young, just not that young … B’Elanna should be at home with her family, not searching for Chakotay.”

“Exactly,” Kathryn said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Before she could say any more, for the second time in as many days, there was an insistent knocking at the front door. “Now, who the hell is that?!” she exclaimed. 

“I’ll get it,” Phoebe said, jumping up off the couch, running out the door, slamming it behind her. They all heard her thunder down the corridor, through the living room, and into the foyer. The front door was opened. There was a pause, then everyone heard her exclaim, “Do you know _everyone_ is fucking looking for you?!” 

Kathryn and Sekaya exchanged looks. Kathryn jumped up from the desk chair as Sekaya threw open the office door. They both raced down the corridor. Kathryn could hear their mothers following as she and Chakotay’s sister skidded to a halt in the living room. There he was, standing in the middle of the room, a duffle bag and backpack next to him, glaring down at Phoebe, who was glaring right back at him.

“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve just showing up here, Chakky!” Sekaya spat out before Kathryn could speak. 

Chakotay’s head shot up at the sound of his sister’s voice. “Sekky?!” he exclaimed, flabbergasted. “Mother?!” he added as Tananka entered the living room, followed by Gretchen. 

“‘Chakky’?!” Phoebe exclaimed gleefully, giggling. Chakotay’s right eye twitched. Kathryn couldn’t help her smirk. 

However, she suppressed it as she drew herself up to her full height and barked out in her best command voice, “Where have you been, Commander?” Sekaya laughed loudly when he snapped to attention. He shot his sister a dirty look, then schooled his features as Kathryn marched up to him. “In the office … now,” she said in a low, deadly voice that stopped their sisters from laughing. 

Pivoting on her heel, Kathryn strode away back towards the office, not bothering to look back to see if he was following. She didn’t have to … she knew he was. She arched an eyebrow at the approving look on Tananka’s face as she passed. Chakotay quickly and quietly greeted his mother then Gretchen as he walked past, but continued to follow after his captain. 

Once they had entered the study, Kathryn poked her head out the door and gave the four women, gathered at the end of the corridor to listen, a look, but left the door open a crack. She took a deep breath and exhaled to suppress her amusement before turning around. Chakotay was standing at attention by the chair in front of the desk. 

Kathryn circled him before stepping behind the desk. She sat down and just stared at him for a few moments before saying, “Do you know how many people are looking for you?” He opened his mouth to answer but she cut him off. “B’Elanna has been at Starfleet Engineering for the past three days with her newborn baby trying to calibrate their sensors to find you.”

He tugged his earlobe. 

“Do you know how many people are on Earth on any given day? Billions!” Kathryn continued. A snort of laughter from the corridor was quickly hushed. Chakotay looked back at the door, annoyed.

Quickly comm’ing Starfleet Communications, Kathryn asked for Fleet Admiral Paris in a loud voice, and Chakotay quickly returned his attention to her as she glared at him. 

When Owen came on the line Kathryn greeted him then indicated Chakotay should step around the desk. Owen looked relieved, then annoyed. Then he ripped into Chakotay. The admiral disconnected the comm, not even saying goodbye, so he could relieve B’Elanna. Kathryn knew she’d have one angry Klingon-human hybrid on her doorstep in a few hours … and she was going to let B’Elanna rip Chakotay yet another one when she arrived. 

After Chakotay had stepped back around the desk, Kathryn indicated he should sit. After he had, she asked, “What happened and where have you been, Chakotay?” 

“Dammit … she’s going soft on him,” Phoebe whispered loudly from the corridor. 

Kathryn arched an eyebrow at Chakotay, who grinned, stood, walked over, and slammed the door shut. They heard Sekaya swear loudly then yelp when she was slapped off the head by her mother. Both Kathryn and Chakotay chuckled softly as he sat back down. 

His grin dropped as he looked up into Kathryn’s face. “I’m sorry,” he started. 

“For what?” she asked.

Chakotay blew out a breath. “Seven.”

“What about her?”

“Kathryn …” he said in a warning tone, knowing he was speaking to her now, not his captain. 

“Listen … was I happy about it? No. But we made no promises to each other. You were free to do whatever you wanted. Now, what happened? You two looked pretty cozy last I saw you.”

He blushed a deep red. Eventually, he stammered out, “I … I called her ‘Kathryn’.” 

Her jaw dropped. “During sex?!” She didn’t want to really imagine or know what had occurred, but that was one thing no woman would stand for from a man. 

“No!” he yelled at the same time they heard Gretchen in the corridor yelp, “Oh my fucking gods!”

“Mother!” Kathryn bellowed as Chakotay buried his face in his hands.

“Kissing. Only kissing,” Chakotay said. “Both times. We never did anything else.” He paused when someone in the corridor hushed someone else. Rolling his eyes, he continued, “The first time, I managed to explain my way through it. But the second time, even someone as ...”

“Inexperienced?” Kathryn supplied. 

He made a face, but agreed. “As inexperienced as Seven when it comes to romantic relationships knows something is wrong when the man they’re dating calls you another woman’s name not once, but twice.”

“Fuck,” said both of their sisters at the same time. 

"What happened after the second time?" Tananka asked through the door. Getchen snorted with laughter. Chakotay closed his eyes for a moment while Kathryn bit her lip so she wouldn’t laugh.

After blowing out a long breath, he continued as if it had been Kathryn who’d asked the question. “She gave me a look, then walked away. She apparently went and had a conversation with her aunt. When she came back, she asked me what _our_ –” he indicated himself and Kathryn, “– relationship truly was. I floundered around, trying to explain _us._ ” Kathryn snorted, imagining how interesting and enlightening that conversation must have been for Seven. “But I eventually got it all out. She then asked me pointblank if I was still in love with you. My immediate answer was yes—”

“—Yes!” Sekaya shrieked from the corridor. Gretchen hushed her. 

Chakotay continued on as if he hadn’t heard her, “So she promptly broke up with me.” 

“Yes!” yelled Phoebe from the corridor. Tananka laughed. 

“How long have they been here?” Chakotay asked Kathryn, indicating his mother and sister with a tip of his head. He knew she was losing the battle of fighting her laughter. They were having a very serious conversation, but their families’ eavesdropping lightened what would have been extremely awkward and somber. 

“They’ve been here four days,” she answered. “Where have you been for the past four days?”

“After she righteously dumped my ass, I returned to my hotel, packed my stuff up quickly. I stopped by Irene's on the way to the transporter station, apologizing once again to Seven. I took the first available transport out of Copenhagen … which was to New York City. I stayed for a day since I’d never been there. Then I went to Boston where an old friend manages the city's history museum. Yesterday, I realized I had left my communicator in Copenhagen. Not knowing what to do next, I went on a vision quest. Afterward, I decided to come here. So … here I am.” 

Kathryn arched an eyebrow at him. “Yes … here you are. Now, what am I to do with you?” 

“Have lots of sex!” Phoebe yelled through the door. The other three women laughed along with Kathryn while Chakotay blushed. 

“Is he blushing?” Sekaya asked loudly. 

“Yes!” Kathryn called back, smirking when their sisters began to giggle. “The rest of this you don’t need to hear – go away.” Kathryn and Chakotay laughed as they heard their younger siblings complaining as they were shooed away by their mothers.

After they had cleared the corridor, Kathryn stood and came around the desk. She looked down at Chakotay then plopped herself down in his lap. Her hands snaked around his neck and they just held each other for a long time. 

Finally, she said into his chest, “By the way, I still love you too.” She could feel him grin at her offhand announcement. “I know seven years is a long time … but now that we’ve taken this next step, officially, can we take it slow? I need to—”

“—Adjust to our new status,” Chakotay finished. “Me too. We also need to shore up our friendship before we move onto anything else."

Kathryn smiled to herself. He _got_ her. That’s why she was keeping him and never letting him go. 

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

After some cuddling, Kathryn and Chakotay went out to the living room where he had a proper reunion with his family. Then they comm’ed a disgruntled B’Elanna who only stopped yelling at Chakotay when Kathryn stepped into view and wrapped her arms around him in a decisive “we’re not just friends” kind of way. B’Elanna’s eyes went huge and she disconnected the call while yelling for Tom over her shoulder. 

Finally, they placed a comm to Seven, who wasn’t even fazed when she learned Chakotay was in Indiana. She was pleased about it. That threw Kathryn a bit until Seven let it slip that she had several fish, male and female, already dangling from her metaphoric line. Kathryn wasn’t surprised, but Chakotay was a tad bit put out; neither woman felt too bad for him. 

True to their word, Kathryn and Chakotay took it slow for the next few weeks. The weather was beautiful during the days for long walks while holding hands. There was just chatting or reading on the porch in the swing. At night they cuddled up in front of the fire and spent time with their newly combined families. They were thrilled when Tananka announced she was seriously debating moving to Earth since both her children were settling there. 

Gretchen invited her to move in since she’d have an empty nest again once Phoebe moved her gallery back to London when Kathryn and Chakotay returned to San Francisco. Sekaya was going with Phoebe. The two had grown very close, but had not officially announced how close, and their family wasn’t prying.

A few weeks after Chakotay’s arrival, Kathryn accidentally overheard him and Sekaya talking in the sunroom about their relationship … and its lack of progress. 

_“So … when are you going to kiss her?”_ Sekaya asked her brother. 

By the deepness of his sigh, Kathryn knew he had been asked this question before. _“When she’s ready. I’m grateful she’s even speaking to me, never mind she wants to be my friend."_

_“You’re tiptoeing, big brother. Thank the gods for your subconscious.”_

_“I know, Sekky.”_ Kathryn could just see him tugging his earlobe. _“But the fact that she still loves me blows my mind.”_

_“Make a move, Chakotay! Kiss her! More than kiss her! You two love each other—”_

_“—Yes, we do. But, Kathryn has the reins and she can go as fast or as slow as she wants.”_

_“That’s—”_

_“—I almost fucked up the best thing I’ve ever had.”_

_“Chak—”_

_“—No, Sekky. Kathryn’s it for me. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to stay in her life.”_

_“Forever?”_

_“Yes … forever.”_ Kathryn heard him stand and stretch. _“Now, I have to go find her. We’re supposed to go for another walk today – this time to a lake.”_

_“I wish you the best of luck, big brother.”_

_“Thanks, little sister. And,”_ he paused, then added, _“Good luck with Phoebe.”_

_“I don’t need luck when it comes to Phoebe,”_ was Sekaya’s smug parting shot. 

Kathryn heard him moving towards the door, chuckling. She turned and ran down the corridor and into the kitchen. Phoebe was there, rummaging about in the stasis unit, presumably for a mid-morning snack. Kathryn skidded to a halt right behind her sister. 

“What’s with you and Sekaya?” Kathryn blurted out. 

Phoebe pulled her head out of the stasis unit and said, “I’ll give you three guesses … and the first two don’t count.” She cocked an eyebrow at her sister. “We’re having a good time. No idea where it’s going to go, but for now it’s fun.” When Kathryn looked impressed, she added, “Communication is key. My turn: what’s with you and Chakotay?”

“I think I’m friend-zoning him again, Phee.”

“Like on _Voyager_ … yes. But you don’t have to do that anymore,” Phoebe told her as she shut the door to the stasis unit, chocolate syrup in hand. 

“My heart knows that … but ...”

“Your brain hasn't caught up yet.”

“I know we’re—” 

“—In love,” Phoebe finished for her. “And have known each other on all sorts of intimate levels for seven years.” 

“Yes.” 

“And have already shared lots of kisses and had lots of delicious sex on an alien planet that you thought you were going to spend the rest of your days on with only him?” 

“I’m getting your point, Phee.” Kathryn smiled at her sister’s smirk then rolled her eyes when Phoebe told her it was about time. 

Her sister was absolutely correct: she and Chakotay had solidified their friendship and they were already comfortable showing their feelings towards one another around other people, even if it was only their families. 

“Kiss the man again at least, Katie. If it were me, I’d personally already be fucking his brains out.” Kathryn chuckled. “But since you’ve claimed him, I’ll do his sister instead.” Phoebe smirked when Kathryn blushed slightly. “You should try it sometime …” 

“Sekaya? Maybe ...” Kathryn said, enjoying watching her sister’s jaw drop. Then Phoebe started laughing when she realized her sister was joking. 

“Smartass,” Phoebe muttered. “I should tell you what I'm going to do with this syrup—”

“I don’t wanna know, Phee!” Kathryn yelped. Phoebe laughed. “Just like you don’t want to hear about Chakotay and I.”

Phoebe waltzed past Kathryn, grinning. Spinning around, she said, “That’s where you’re wrong, big sister. I wanna hear _all_ the dirty— Oh … hey, Chakotay,” she said to him, catching his reflection in the replicator paneling. Exiting the kitchen, winking at her sister behind his back, she called, “Have a nice … _walk_ … you two.”

Chakotay looked back at the swinging kitchen door, perplexed. He turned to Kathryn and she said, “Don’t ask,” before he could even say anything.

“Ready for our walk?” he asked instead.

“Let me just change and put on some sturdier shoes. Why don’t you make a quick picnic up? We’ll be _hungry_ when we get to the lake and will probably miss dinner by the time we return. Be right back.” She had laced the word “hungry” with innuendo and was pleased that Chakotay seemed extremely interested. Being daring, she pecked his cheek as she passed him to exit the kitchen. As the door swung closed, Kathryn saw him reverently touching where she had kissed him. 

She ran up to her childhood bedroom, whipped off the clothes she was currently wearing, freshened up quickly, then pulled a sturdy but fitted blue dress out of her closet. She slipped on her walking shoes and grabbed a light jacket. When she arrived back in the kitchen she found Chakotay’s backpack on the counter jammed with food and water with a quilt secured to it like a bed roll. The man himself was waiting at the back door. He too had freshened up, his hair was wet and he had thrown a light sweater on over his t-shirt.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice casual but his eyes warm as he took in the picture of her in her dress. He had once told her a long time ago that he liked the color blue on her best … even more than Command red. 

Kathryn wondered for a moment what would have happened if she hadn’t overheard him and Sekaya, but shook her head clear. She had heard them, and because of that, she knew she was ready to move into the next phase of their relationship.

“Ok?” he asked her, slightly concerned since she had zoned out for a moment.

“I’m fine. Let’s go. Grab the food, sweetheart,” Kathryn told him, trying out the endearment. She was pleased he grinned, dimples-deep. Taking his hand, she led him out the back door and across the corn fields to the path that would take them to the lake. 

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

They emerged from the wooded path almost an hour later to a cove of a small lake. With the woods behind them thickly grown and the reed grass growing from the lake bottom over two meters high, it was extremely secluded; the perfect location for a seduction. 

Kathryn watched Chakotay, still completely oblivious, as he undid the quilt from his backpack and spread it out on the ground. He hunched down over the backpack and took out two water bottles. He held one out to Kathryn; she pretended she didn’t see him. 

Instead, she lay down on the quilt and stretched, watching him from underneath her eyelashes. His nostrils flared and his eyes widened when her dress pulled taut against her breasts then rucked up towards her knees. Finally, she rolled over on her side and took the water bottle that was now dangling from his limp hand with a thanks. 

“Lie down, Chakotay,” she gently ordered when he didn’t move, just stared at her as she rolled onto her back. “You’re towering over me.” It took all her willpower not to giggle when he scrambled down next to her on the quilt. As casually as she could, Kathryn rolled over and tucked herself into his side. Chakotay’s body tensed, then relaxed, as she laid her head on his chest over his heart. It comforted her that it was beating so steady. “I can’t believe we made it home,” she whispered.

He gently squeezed her reassuringly, pulling her closer. Kathryn used the momentum to roll herself onto his chest. Chakotay’s eyes widened in surprise, but he was smart enough not to say anything. “Hi,” she said eventually, looking down at him.

“Kath—” he replied, placing his hands on her hips so she didn’t fall off of him.

Kathryn cut him off by leaning down and kissing him. It started off gentle, but almost immediately erupted into an inferno of hard, frantic kisses. They had been denied each other for five long years since New Earth and they were desperate to taste and feel one another again. Finally, when she roughly nipped at his lower lip, he rolled them over so he was now on top. 

“Hurry,” she groaned, fumbling with his belt. Chakotay groaned as she finally got it unbuckled and undid his trousers. Pushing them and his underwear down around his knees, Kathryn wrapped her hand around his already semi-erect penis and began stroking him.

“Fuck, Kathryn,” he moaned as she spread her legs wider. His hands slid down her legs and pushed her dress up further. 

“Oh yes, baby …” Kathryn whimpered between kisses as his hands blindly searched under her skirt for her underwear. “You found it,” she told him as he slid her panties down and palmed her core. “Foreplay next time … fuck me now!”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Chakotay groaned as she led his now fully-erect cock to her already soaking pussy. 

Her giggles at his sass cut off as he sank into her. “Fuck, yes,” she sighed. Kathryn yelled as he pulled almost all the way out and plunged back into her. “Faster,” she screamed as he began to pump his hips. “Oh yes, baby,” she moaned into his neck. “I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too,” he grunted in response, flexing his hips again and thrusting faster. 

Kathryn rotated her own hips and Chakotay swore as he sunk deeper into her body. Their thrusts soon became as fast and frantic as their kisses had been; neither was going to last much longer. And neither cared, they just wanted to be as one again after so long. Slow, leisurely lovemaking would come later. 

Chakotay pressed his forehead into her neck and flexed his hips again. Not knowing how, he managed to increase his pace as Kathryn grabbed his behind and pushed him deeper into her.

"Gonna come, love,” he moaned. “Hurry!”

Kathryn slid one hand off his behind and slipped it between their bodies, finding her clit. She began rubbing furiously, knowing they both were right on the edge. They came at the same time, both screaming their release as he poured his essence into her pliant welcoming body. 

Chakotay collapsed on top of Kathryn, gasping for breath. She wrapped him up in a tight hug, holding him close while trying also to regain control of her breathing. After a while, both calmed down but stayed locked in their embrace. When he finally softened, he slipped out of her, dropping onto his back beside her. Kathryn cuddled up next to him, her head over his heart again.

“I love you,” she whispered to him.

“I love you too,” he replied, hugging her closer.

Eventually, they both dozed off. When they woke, the sun was just about to begin its descent. Each slowly stripped for the other and they made slow, gentle love. By the time they were done, the sun was just beginning to set. Sexually sated but physically starving, they spread out their picnic and devoured everything Chakotay had packed in his backpack. 

They dressed and started the walk home as twilight settled in. As they emerged from the corn fields, Kathryn heard a loud wolf whistle echo across the farm and groaned. Chakotay realized who it was a second later.

Phoebe and Sekaya stuck their heads out from the hayloft window as their siblings passed by the barn. They took one look at the deliciously rumpled couple and began cheering. Kathryn rolled her eyes and flipped her sister off while Chakotay just laughed at their antics. The mothers came out onto the back porch at the sound of all the noise. 

“Katie and Chakky had _SEX_!” Phoebe bellowed towards the house, grinning when she saw Tananka and Gretchen laugh.

“And what exactly have you two been doing up there? There’s only one reason to be in the hayloft,” Kathryn yelled up to her sister. She ducked as something came flying at her head. 

Chakotay picked it up. “It’s a chocolate syrup bot—?” He stopped abruptly when he realized the last time he’d seen the exact same bottle. Sekaya laughed loudly when he tugged his earlobe, blushing. 

Kathryn grabbed the now-empty bottle. “You didn’t save any for us!” she yelled as she threw the bottle back at them, just barely missing the window. Sekaya called out how impressed she was at Kathryn’s aim then laughed when it was her turn to get flipped off. Kathryn and Chakotay walked towards the house, both ignoring the peeling laughter that followed them.

They greeted their beaming mothers as they plopped down on the porch swing. Kathryn cuddled up into Chakotay’s side. Gretchen returned to the house, coming back with a carafe of coffee, mugs, and a bottle of whiskey. That eventually lured Phoebe and Sekaya from the barn. 

“When’s the wedding?” Gretchen asked her oldest daughter after everyone had been served something of one form or another. 

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged glances. Communicating silently, they came to an agreement. She took a sip of her Irish coffee before answering, “How fast can you plan one?”

Gretchen shot her a look that Phoebe laughed at as Sekaya squealed happily. “Is that a challenge?” she asked her oldest daughter.

“Yup,” she dared her mother, giggling when Chakotay began to laugh.

"Challenge accepted!" Tananka told them. 

Kathryn and Chakotay both grinned at the look of fierce determination on her face.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

They were married four days later in a ceremony officiated by Owen and held in the hastily but elegantly decorated gardens. A reception that appeared to have been planned for months, not days, followed in the barn. Kathryn conceded to their mothers that they had more than succeeded with her challenge, especially when Gretchen pulled off the miracle of having the entire _Voyager_ crew in attendance. 

“Dare I ask them how they did it?” Kathryn asked, cuddling up to her brand-new husband. They had snuck away from the celebrations for some quiet alone time. 

"Not if you don’t want to hear about it for the rest of your life,” he replied, smiling as Kathryn giggled, knowing he was correct, then buried her face in his chest. 

Some of the best things in life should remain a mystery. 


End file.
